The Pueblo

The Pueblo

Once, at the foot of a desert mesa, there was a pueblo that was as dusty and dry as an old woman's skin. The desert was mauve and the sunsets were painted in pink, violet, rose, and purple hues. Cactus grew there, along with lavender, sage and orange creosote. An occasional desert rose could be found with a female Cougar nearby.

Two large Cougars, a male named Adobe and a female named Adalaide, kept watch over the Pueblo for over 1,000 years. The Cougars watched and they waited. Adalaide sat by the sea, a small body of water not much bigger than a lake. One day, the sea started to dry up. The grasses, trees and shrubs withered away in the desert heat and eventually there was only parched sand and dusty dirt where water used to be.

Adalaide went to Adobe and the Cougars discussed the situation amongst themselves. Eventually, Adobe went to check on the Pueblo and discovered an old woman sitting in front of a fire that she rarely put out. Adobe hid behind the old woman's home and watched and waited. Early one morning, Adobe saw the old woman leave her fire. The Cougar watched as she carefully tiptoed around the desert cacti, the sharp rocks, sticks and twigs that might have injured her bare feet, and made her way to the edge of the sea. The old woman turned around, hunched over and began to drink water from the sea using her hands cupped together like a small bowl. When she had quenched her thirst, she carefully tiptoed back around the desert cacti, the sharp rocks, sticks and twigs that might have injured her bare feet, and returned to her spot in her house on the floor in front of the fireplace. In the afternoon, the old woman returned for another drink. In the evening, the old woman returned again for another drink.

Adobe watched the woman in this way for many hundreds of years and eventually, the Cougar realized that the sea was shrinking and the water wasn't coming back. The rains gradually ceased to fall and Adobe and Adalaide were surrounded by dry, desert sand and dust on all sides.

One morning, when the old woman realized there wasn't any water left in the sea, she fell backwards and landed on her rear with a small thump and a startled shriek.

"What on Earth will these people think of me?" The old woman could not contain her grief and she returned to her fire to think. Eventually, Adobe realized that the old woman had dried up the sea.

"Maybe now we will see." Adobe thought to himself. "What will happen to that old woman without the sea.

Adobe returned to Adalaide and they discussed the situation amongst themselves.

"Perhaps there will be nothing left for the old woman to drink." Adalaide remarked.

"Perhaps." Adobe agreed. "Perhaps she will find it within herself to get up and leave."

Adalaide returned to her watch over the now dried up sea, and Adobe kept an eye out to see if the old woman would leave. As it turned out, there was nothing left for her to drink, so eventually she did leave.

Slowly but surely, water returned to the Pueblo and to the sea. One evening during a thunderstorm, a fire the old woman left burning provided the Cougars warmth in their time of need. Adobe and Adalaide entered through the open doorway and discovered the old woman had left no trace for them to see - only shelter from the wind and the rain that stretched as far as the eye could see.

~

to be continued...